A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials examined the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for diabetes patients. Eleven articles from 10 studies with 718 participants were reviewed. MBSR reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms and enhanced mindfulness at post-intervention and follow-up (mean 4.3 months), with large effect sizes. Stress reduction was observed only at follow-up, not post-intervention. No effect on HbA1C was detected at either time point. The authors suggest MBSR improves mental health and mindfulness in people with diabetes and recommend measuring cortisol in future research.
A 4-week study with 65 employees tested daily online self-compassion meditation delivered via smartphone. After a control week, two intervention weeks of daily meditation improved daily self-compassion and reduced perceived stress and emotional exhaustion. Self-compassion and stress did not change during the control week, then improved during the intervention weeks and remained stable during the follow-up week. Emotional exhaustion declined during the control week and stayed stable afterward. The intervention worked equally well regardless of participants' baseline trait self-compassion. The authors conclude that daily online self-compassion meditation is effective and suggest the method can be applied to test other daily online interventions.
A meta-analysis of 20 studies (539 participants) found that meditation, yoga, and mindfulness-based interventions improved overall symptoms in people with chronic symptoms from mild traumatic brain injury compared to controls (d = 0.41). Within-group improvements were seen in mental health, physical health, cognitive performance, quality of life, and self-related processing. Fatigue and depression showed the largest improvements. The authors note that the findings are promising but highlight the need for more rigorous trials with randomization, blinding, and adverse event recording.